Discseel Procedure

[TeslaCoil]

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Was recently contacted by the VA who is looking for a physician to refer patients to for discseel. Thinking of adding this to our repertoire. Anybody have the skinny on this procedure? How are outcomes? Potential complications? Thanks!

 

[SgtThunderfistMD]

waste of time

 

[bubaghanush]

Don't want to hijack the thread but is Viadisc a waste as well? A couple of colleagues seems quite excited about it, but every intradiscal procedure seems to be overhyped and eventually fizzle out.

 

[TeslaCoil]

waste of time

care to expand on that?

 

[RoloTomassi]

I've had 2-3 patients who it didn't work for. Could be selection bias but probably not.

 

[Baron Samedi]

Don't want to hijack the thread but is Viadisc a waste as well? A couple of colleagues seems quite excited about it, but every intradiscal procedure seems to be overhyped and eventually fizzle out.

I did somewhere around 10 while in DoD and had a >50% success rate, better than anything else I had tried intradiscal.

 

[bedrock]

I think intracept is far more effective (if covered by their insurance company)

 

[hyperalgesia]

Was recently contacted by the VA who is looking for a physician to refer patients to for discseel. Thinking of adding this to our repertoire. Anybody have the skinny on this procedure? How are outcomes? Potential complications? Thanks!

Probably a veteran heard about the procedure and asked his PCP, who then requested it on behalf of the patient. Neither patient, nor referring doc has any idea of the indications or implications of the procedure.

So, I would expect it to be a one-off from the VA, most likely an inappropriate referral, if that is part of your calculus...

 

[bubaghanush]

I think intracept is far more effective (if covered by their insurance company)

I am doing Intracept now and agree it is effective. I'll see how my colleagues do with Viadisc for now.

 

[Taus]

My understanding is, it sounded very promising, and then the trial results were very underwhelming not much different from placebo. Apparently it only works when you get super special training from pauza and charge like 20 K cash.

 

[clubdeac]

I am doing Intracept now and agree it is effective. I'll see how my colleagues do with Viadisc for now.

Did it 10 yrs ago while at the VA. You at the VA?

 

[bubaghanush]

Did it 10 yrs ago while at the VA. You at the VA?

No in academics. Wow I didn't realize it's been out that long.

 

[clubdeac]

No in academics. Wow I didn't realize it's been out that long.

just had a complete brain fart. I was reading the thread on intradiscal procedures and for some reason I read intracept as biacuplasty. I was doing biacuplasty, thermal coagulation of the disc, over 10 yrs ago when it was a thing

 

[TeslaCoil]

Probably a veteran heard about the procedure and asked his PCP, who then requested it on behalf of the patient. Neither patient, nor referring doc has any idea of the indications or implications of the procedure.

So, I would expect it to be a one-off from the VA, most likely an inappropriate referral, if that is part of your calculus...

This is so typical and cynical and true. I just had to laugh.

 

[BobBarker]

How do you even bill for it? No set fee schedule…

Ok, VAMC, that will be $16,000 paid in advance. 😂 Surely, that isn’t the way it is done?

 

[hyperalgesia]

How do you even bill for it? No set fee schedule…

Ok, VAMC, that will be $16,000 paid in advance. 😂 Surely, that isn’t the way it is done?

I think every VA is different but most use Medicare rates. I wouldn't touch it without written auth for anything you're gonna do.